THE VISION
Development plan may turn Negri Sembilan into an industrial zone to complement the Klang Valley
ALL eyes will be on Putrajaya this week with the official launch of the long-awaited Malaysia Vision Valley (MVV), touted as the country’s next world-class economic metropolis in Negri Sembilan.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is expected to chair the MVV’s first steering committee at his office, as well as witness the signing of an agreement comprising three entities that are spearheading the ambitious economic corridor.
Sime Darby Bhd will take a 50 per cent stake in the venture and the remainder will be held equally between Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP) and Malaysian property firm Brunsfield International Group.
They will jointly own MVV Holdings Sdn Bhd, the master planner and project promoter.
The state government will not hold a stake in MVV Holdings, but will invest in some of its flagship projects. This agreement will be the first step in making MVV a reality since it was first mooted in 2009 by Sime Darby and the state government.
Sime Darby is in the equation because it owns huge tracts of land in Negri Sembilan.
MVV is an economic zone encompassing some 100,000ha of land from Port Dickson to Seremban and Nilai.
It is designed to complement the already congested Klang Valley, which is home to a quarter of Malaysia’s 30 million population, and produces 40 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
Or perhaps, it can become a new emerging economic zone by itself, which is closest to the Greater Klang Valley.
The zone will include industrial, commercial and residential clusters, and is expected to attract local and overseas investments amounting to RM400 billion by 2045.
Projects in the pipeline include a high technology and industrial zone, an integrated transport district, sports and recreational facilities, a world-knowledge city and corporate campus, a biopolis and wellness hub, a nature reserve, the MVV central business district, a central park and tourist attractions.
What is even more appealing about the MVV is its proximity to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and major highways.
The sleepy town of Labu has been picked as one of the seven transit stations for the upcoming high-speed rail between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Sources said the station will be built underground to maximise land use, and will also become an international transit station to cater to foreign tourists and investors.
The MVV is part of the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). Recently, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan confirmed that he would be MVV’s deputy chairman.
He is instrumental in overseeing the project as he wants to ensure that all Negri Sembilan folk are not left out of the state’s development.
“I want to ensure that the people will benefit from the state’s economic expansion,” he said.
The MVV is also a gift to nature lovers as it takes environmental sustainability into account despite huge profits that can be